Aqueous nacreous luster concentrates

ABSTRACT

A concentrated aqueous pearlescent composition containing: (a) from 1 to 99.9% by weight of a ring-opening reaction product of an olefin epoxide containing from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and a reaction component selected from the group consisting of a fatty alcohol having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, a polyol having from 2 to 15 carbon atoms and 2 to 10 hydroxyl groups, and mixtures thereof; (b) from 0.1 to 90% by weight of an emulsifier selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an ampholytic surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, an esterquat, and mixtures thereof; and (c) up to 40% by weight of a polyol, all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to aqueous pearlescent concentrates containingring opening products of olefin epoxides with fatty alcohols or polyols,emulsifiers and optionally polyols, to a process for their production,to a process for the production of pearlescent surface-activeformulations using the concentrates and to the use of of ring openingproducts as pearlescent waxes.

For centuries, the softly shimmering luster of pearls has held aparticular fascination for human beings. It is therefore no wonder thatmanufacturers of cosmetic preparations endeavour to give their productsan attractive, valuable and rich appearance. The first pearlescence usedin cosmetics in the middle ages was a pearlescent paste of natural fishscales. At the beginning of the present century, it was discovered thatbismuth oxide chlorides were also capable of producing pearlescence. Bycontrast, pearlescent waxes, particularly of the glycol monofatty acidester and difatty acid ester type, are of importance in moderncosmetics, being used mainly for the production of pearlescence in hairshampoos and shower gels. An overview of modern pearlescent formulationswas published by A. Ansmann and R. Kawa in Parf. Kosm., 75, 578 (1994).

Various formulations capable of providing surface-active products withthe required pearlescence are known from the prior art. For example,German patent applications DE-A1 38 43 572 and DE-A1 41 03 551 (Henkel)describe pearlescent concentrates in the form of free-flowing aqueousdispersions containing 15 to 40% by weight of pearlescent components, 5to 55% by weight of emulsifiers and 0.1 to 5% by weight or 15 to 40% byweight of polyols. The pearlescent waxes are acylated polyalkyleneglycols, mono-alkanolamides, linear saturated fatty acids orketosulfones. European patents EP-B1 0 181 773 and EP-B1 0 285 389(Procter & Gamble) describe shampoo compositions containing surfactants,non-volatile silicones and pearlescent waxes. European patentapplication EP-A2 0 205 922 (Henkel) relates to free-flowing pearlescentconcentrates containing 5 to 15% by weight of acylated polyglycols, 1 to6% by weight of fatty acid monoethanolamides and 1 to 5% by weight ofnonionic emulsifiers. According to the teaching of European patent EP-B10 569 843 (Hoechst), nonionic, free-flowing pearlescent dispersions canalso be obtained by preparing mixtures of 5 to 30% by weight of acylatedpolyglycols and 0.1 to 20% by weight of selected nonionic surfactants.In addition, European patent application EP-A2 0 581 193 (Hoechst)describes free-flowing, preservative-free pearlescent dispersionscontaining acylated polyglycol ethers, betaines, anionic surfactants andglycerol. Finally, European patent application EP-A1 0 684 302 (Th.Goldschmidt) relates to the use of polyglycerol esters ascrystallization aids for the production of pearlescent concentrates.

Despite the large number of formulations, there is a constant need onthe market for new pearlescent waxes which, in contrast to acylatedpolyglycols for example, do not contain any ethylene oxide units andwhich are distinguished from known products by their brilliant luster,even when used in smaller quantities, so that critical ingredients, suchas silicones for example, may also be used without any adverse effect onthe stability of the formulations and which, at the same time, containester groups, thus guaranteeing adequate biodegradability, and which arefree-flowing and hence easy to handle, particularly in concentratedform. Accordingly, the problem addressed by the present invention was toprovide new pearlescent concentrates which would satisfy the complexrequirement profile described above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to aqueous pearlescent concentratescontaining--based on the non-aqueous component

(a) 1 to 99.1% by weight of ring opening products of olefin epoxidescontaining 12 to 22 carbon atoms with fatty alcohols containing 12 to 22carbon atoms, water and/or polyols containing 2 to 15 carbon atoms and 2to 10 hydroxyl groups,

(b) 0.1 to 90% by weight of anionic, nonionic, cationic, ampholyticand/or zwitterionic emulsifiers and

(c) 0 to 40% by weight of polyols,

with the proviso that the quantities add up to 100% by weight.

It has surprisingly been found that the epoxide ring opening productsmentioned have excellent pearlescing properties and are distinguishedfrom known products by greater brilliance, even when used in smallerquantities, particular particle fineness and stability in storage. Thepearlescent waxes are readily biodegradable and free-flowing inconcentrated form and even enable problematical ingredients, for examplesilicones, to be incorporated in cosmetic formulations. The ring openingreaction may also be carried out with water only.

Epoxide Ring Opening Products

The ring opening products are known substances which are normallyprepared by acid-catalyzed reaction of terminal or internal olefinepoxides with aliphatic alcohols. The reaction products preferablycorrespond to formula (I): ##STR1## in which R¹ and R² representhydrogen or an alkyl group containing 10 to 20 carbon atoms, with theproviso that the sum total of carbon atoms of R¹ and R² is between 10and 20 and R³ is an alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing 12 to 22carbon atoms and/or the residue of a polyol containing 2 to 15 carbonatoms and 2 to 10 hydroxyl groups. Typical examples are ring openingproducts of α-dodecene epoxide, α-hexadecene epoxide, α-octadeceneepoxide, α-eicosene epoxide, α-docosene epoxide, i-dodecene epoxide,i-hexadecene epoxide, i-octadecene epoxide, i-eicosene epoxide and/ori-docosene epoxide with lauryl alcohol, coconut fatty alcohol, myristylalcohol, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearylalcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidyl alcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, linolylalcohol, linolenyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol and/or erucyl alcohol. Ringopening products of hexa- and/or octadecene epoxides with fatty alcoholscontaining 16 to 18 carbon atoms are preferably used. If polyols areused instead of the fatty alcohols for the ring opening reaction, thecompounds used are the same as those suitable as component (c) which areexplained in more detail hereinafter.

The ring opening products may be used in quantities of 1 to 99.9% byweight, based on the concentrates, and are normally used in quantitiesof 5 to 75% by weight, preferably in quantities of 10 to 50% by weightand more preferably in quantities of 15 to 30% by weight.

Emulsifiers

The pearlescent concentrates according to the invention may containnonionic surfactants from at least one of the following groups asemulsifiers:

(b1) adducts of 2 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide and/or 0 to 5 moles ofpropylene oxide with linear fatty alcohols containing 8 to 22 carbonatoms, with fatty acids containing 12 to 22 carbon atoms, withalkylphenols containing 8 to 15 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and withtriglycerides;

(b2) C_(12/18) fatty acid monoesters and diesters of adducts of 1 to 30moles of ethylene oxide with glycerol;

(b3) glycerol monoesters and diesters and sorbitan monoesters anddiesters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids containing 6 to 22carbon atoms and ethylene oxide adducts thereof;

(b4) alkyl mono- and oligoglycosides containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms inthe alkyl group and ethoxylated analogs thereof;

(b5) adducts of 15 to 60 moles of ethylene oxide with castor oil and/orhydrogenated castor oil;

(b6) polyol esters and, in particular, polyglycerol esters such as, forexample, polyglycerol polyricinoleate or polyglycerolpoly-12-hydroxystearate. Mixtures of compounds from several of theseclasses are also suitable;

(b7) adducts of 2 to 15 moles of ethylene oxide with castor oil and/orhydrogenated castor oil;

(b8) partial esters based on linear, branched, unsaturated or saturatedC_(12/22) fatty acids, ricinoleic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid andglycerol, polyglycerol, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, sugaralcohols (for example sorbitol) and polyglucosides (for examplecellulose);

(b9) trialkyl phosphates;

(b10) wool wax alcohols;

(b11) polysiloxane/polyalkyl polyether copolymer and correspondingderivatives;

(b12) mixed esters of pentaerythritol, fatty acids, citric acid andfatty alcohol according to DE-PS 11 65 574 and

(b13) polyalkylene glycols.

The addition products of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide withfatty alcohols, fatty acids, alkylphenols, glycerol monoesters anddiesters and sorbitan monoesters and diesters of fatty acids or withcastor oil are known commercially available products. They are homologmixtures of which the average degree of alkoxylation corresponds to theratio between the quantities of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxideand substrate with which the addition reaction is carried out. C_(12/18)fatty acid monoesters and diesters of adducts of ethylene oxide withglycerol are known as refatting agents for cosmetic formulations fromDE-PS 20 24 051.

C_(8/18) alkyl mono- and oligoglycosides, their production and their useas surfactants are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,839,318,3,707,535, 3,547,828, DE-OS 19 43 689, DE-OS 20 36 472 and DE-A1 30 01064 and also from EP-A 0 077 167. They are produced in particular byreacting glucose or oligosaccharides with primary C_(8/18) alcohols. Sofar as the glycoside unit is concerned, both monoglycosides in which acyclic sugar unit is attached to the fatty alcohol by a glycoside bondand oligomeric glycosides with a degree of oligomerization of preferablyup to about 8 are suitable. The degree of oligomerization is astatistical mean value on which the homolog distribution typical of suchtechnical products is based.

In addition, zwitterionic surfactants may be used as emulsifiers.Zwitterionic surfactants are surface-active compounds which contain atleast one quaternary ammonium group and at least one carboxylate and onesulfonate group in the molecule. Particularly suitable zwitterionicsurfactants are the so-called betaines, such as the N-alkyl-N,N-dimethylammonium glycinates, for example cocoalkyl dimethyl ammonium glycinate,N-acylaminopropyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium glycinates, for examplecocoacylaminopropyl dimethyl ammonium glycinate, and2-alkyl-3-carboxymethyl-3-hydroxyethyl imidazolines containing 8 to 18carbon atoms in the alkyl or acyl group and cocoacylaminoethylhydroxyethyl carboxymethyl glycinate. The fatty acid amide derivativeknown under the CTFA name of Cocoamidopropyl Betaine is particularlypreferred. Ampholytic surfactants are also suitable emulsifiers.Ampholytic surfactants are surface-active compounds which, in additionto a C_(8/18) alkyl or acyl group, contain at least one free amino groupand at least one --COOH-- or --SO₃ H-- group in the molecule and whichare capable of forming inner salts. Examples of suitable ampholyticsurfactants are N-alkyl glycines, N-alkyl propionic acids,N-alkylaminobutyric acids, N-alkyliminodipropionic acids,N-hydroxyethyl-N-alkylamidopropyl glycines, N-alkyl taurines, N-alkylsarcosines, 2-alkylaminopropionic acids and alkylaminoacetic acidscontaining around 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group. Particularlypreferred ampholytic surfactants are N-cocoalkylaminopropionate,cocoacylaminoethyl aminopropionate and C_(12/18) acyl sarcosine. Besidesampholytic emulsifiers, quaternary emulsifiers may also be used, thoseof the esterquat type, especially methyl-quaternized difatty acidtriethanolamine ester salts, being particularly preferred.

The pearlescent concentrates according to the invention may contain theemulsifiers in quantities of 0.1 to 90% by weight, preferably inquantities of 5 to 50% by weight and, more preferably, in quantities of10 to 40% by weight.

Polyols

Polyols which may be used as component (c) in accordance with theinvention preferably contain 2 to 15 carbon atoms and at least twohydroxyl groups. Typical examples are

glycerol;

alkylene glycols such as, for example, ethylene glycol, diethyleneglycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol andpolyethylene glycols with an average molecular weight of 100 to 1,000dalton;

technical oligoglycerol mixtures with a degree of self-condensation of1.5 to 10 such as, for example, technical diglycerol mixtures with adiglycerol content of 40 to 50% by weight;

methylol compounds such as, in particular, trimethylol ethane,trimethylol propane, trimethylol butane, pentaerythritol anddipentaerythritol;

lower alkyl glucosides, particularly those containing 1 to 8 carbonatoms in the alkyl group, for example methyl and butyl glucoside;

sugar alcohols containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms, for example sorbitol ormannitol,

sugars containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms, for example glucose or sucrose;

aminosugars, for example glucamine.

The pearlescent concentrates according to the invention may contain thepolyols, preferably glycerol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol,hexylene glycol and polyethylene glycols with an average molecularweight of 100 to 1,000 in quantities of 0.1 to 40% by weight, preferablyin quantities of 0.5 to 15% by weight and, more preferably, inquantities of 1 to 5% by weight.

Production Process

In one preferred embodiment, which is also a subject of the invention,the pearlescent concentrates are produced by preparing a mixture ofcomponents (a), (b) and (c), heating it to a temperature 1 to 30° C.above the melting point of the mixture, mixing it with the necessaryquantity of water having substantially the same temperature and thencooling the mixture to room temperature. In an alternative method ofproduction, a concentrated aqueous (anionic) surfactant paste may beinitially introduced, the pearlescent wax stirred in while heating andthe mixture subsequently diluted with more water to the requiredconcentration or the mixing step may be carried out in the presence ofpolymeric hydrophilic thickeners such as, for example, hydroxypropylcelluloses, xanthan gum or polymers of the carbomer type.

Commercial Applications

The pearlescent concentrates according to the invention are suitable foropacifying surface-active formulations such as, for example, hairshampoos or manual dishwashing detergents. Accordingly, the presentinvention also relates to a process for the production of opacified andpearlescent liquid aqueous preparations of water-soluble surface-activesubstances, in which the pearlescent concentrates are added to the clearaqueous preparations at 0 to 40° C. in a quantity of 0.5 to 40% byweight and preferably 1 to 20% by weight of the preparation and aredispersed therein by stirring.

Surfactants

The surface-active formulations according to the invention, which have anon-aqueous component of generally 1 to 50 and preferably 5 to 35% byweight, may contain nonionic, anionic, cationic and/or amphoteric orzwitterionic surfactants which may be present in the formulations inquantities of normally about 50 to 99% by weight and preferably 70 to90% by weight. Typical examples of anionic surfactants are soaps, alkylbenzenesulfonates, alkanesulfonates, olefin sulfonates, alkylethersulfonates, glycerol ether sulfonates, α-methyl ester sulfonates,sulfofatty acids, alkyl sulfates, fatty alcohol ether sulfates, glycerolether sulfates, hydroxy mixed ether sulfates, monoglyceride (ether)sulfates, fatty acid amide (ether) sulfates, mono- and dialkylsulfosuccinates, mono- and dialkyl sulfosuccinamates,sulfotriglycerides, amide soaps, ether carboxylic acids and saltsthereof, fatty acid isethionates, fatty acid sarcosinates, fatty acidtaurides, N-acylamino acids such as, for example, acyl lactylates, acyltartrates, acyl glutamates and acyl aspartates, alkyl oligoglucosidesulfates, protein fatty acid condensates (particularly wheat-basedvegetable products) and alkyl (ether) phosphates. If the anionicsurfactants contain polyglycol ether chains, they may have aconventional homolog distribution although they preferably have anarrow-range homolog distribution. Typical examples of nonionicsurfactants are fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers, alkylphenol polyglycolethers, fatty acid polyglycol esters, fatty acid amide polyglycolethers, fatty amine polyglycol ethers, alkoxylated triglycerides, mixedethers and mixed formals, alk(en)yl oligoglycosides, fatty acid N-alkylglucamides, protein hydrolyzates (particularly wheat-based vegetableproducts), polyol fatty acid esters, sugar esters, sorbitan esters,polysorbates and amine oxides. If the nonionic surfactants containpolyglycol ether chains, they may have a conventional homologdistribution, although they preferably have a narrow-range homologdistribution. Typical examples of cationic surfactants are quaternaryammonium compounds and esterquats, more particularly quaternized fattyacid trialkanolamine ester salts. Typical examples of amphoteric orzwitterionic surfactants are alkylbetaines, alkylamidobetaines,aminopropionates, aminoglycinates, imidazolinium betaines andsulfobetaines. The surfactants mentioned are all known compounds.Information on their structure and production can be found in relevantsynoptic works, cf. for example J. Falbe (ed.), "Surfactants in ConsumerProducts", Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1987, pages 54 to 124 or J. Falbe(ed.), "Katalysatoren, Tenside und Mineraloladditive (Catalysts,Surfactants and Mineral Oil Additives)", Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, 1978,pages 123-217. The same surfactants may also be directly used for theproduction of the pearlescent concentrates. The anionic surfactants arealso suitable as emulsifiers.

Auxiliaries and Additives

The surface-active formulations to which the pearlescent concentratesaccording to the invention may be added may contain other auxiliariesand additives such as, for example, oils, superfatting agents,stabilizers, waxes, consistency regulators, thickeners, cationicpolymers, silicone compounds, biogenic agents, anti-dandruff agents,film-formers, preservatives, hydrotropes, solubilizers, UV absorbers,dyes and fragrances.

Suitable oils are, for example, Guerbet alcohols based on fatty alcoholscontaining 6 to 18 and preferably 8 to 10 carbon atoms, esters of linearC₆₋₂₀ fatty acids with linear C₆₋₂₀ fatty alcohols, esters of branchedC₆₋₁₃ carboxylic acids with linear C₆₋₂₀ fatty alcohols, esters oflinear C₆₋₁₈ fatty acids with branched alcohols, more particularly2-ethyl hexanol, esters of linear and/or branched fatty acids withpolyhydric alcohols (for example dimer diol or trimer triol) and/orGuerbet alcohols, triglycerides based on C₆₋₁₀ fatty acids, vegetableoils, branched primary alcohols, substituted cyclohexanes, Guerbetcarbonates, dialkyl ethers and/or aliphatic or naphthenic hydrocarbons.

Superfatting agents may be selected from such substances as, forexample, lanolin and lecithin and also polyethoxylated or acylatedlanolin and lecithin derivatives, polyol fatty acid esters,monoglycerides and fatty acid alkanolamides, the fatty acidalkanolamides also serving as foam stabilizers. The consistencyregulators mainly used are fatty alcohols containing 12 to 22 andpreferably 16 to 18 carbon atoms. A combination of these substances withalkyl oligoglucosides and/or fatty acid N-methyl glucamides of the samechain length and/or polyglycerol poly-12-hydroxystearates is preferablyused. Suitable thickeners are, for example, polysaccharides, moreespecially xanthan gum, guar-guar, agar-agar, alginates and tyloses,carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose, also relatively highmolecular weight polyethylene glycol monoesters and diesters of fattyacids, polyacrylates, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone,surfactants such as, for example, ethoxylated fatty acid glycerides,esters of fatty acids with polyols, for example pentaerythritol ortrimethylol propane, narrow-range fatty alcohol ethoxylates or alkyloligoglucosides and electrolytes, such as sodium chloride and ammoniumchloride.

Suitable cationic polymers are, for example, cationic cellulosederivatives, cationic starch, copolymer of diallyl ammonium salts andacrylamides, quaternized vinyl pyrrolidone/vinyl imidazole polymers suchas, for example, Luviquat® (BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, FRG), condensationproducts of polyglycols and amines, quaternized collagen polypeptidessuch as, for example, Lauryidimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Collagen(Lamequat® L, Grunau GmbH), quaternized wheat polypeptides,polyethyleneimine, cationic silicone polymers such as, for example,Amidomethicone or Dow Corning, Dow Corning Co., USA, copolymer of adipicacid and dimethylaminohydroxypropyl diethylenetriamine (Cartaretine®,Sandoz AG, CH), polyaminopolyamides as described, for example, in FR-A 2252 840 and crosslinked water-soluble polymers thereof, cationic chitinderivatives such as, for example, quaternized chitosan, optionally inmicrocrystalline distribution, condensation products of dihaloalkyls,for example dibromobutane, with bis-dialkylamines, for example,bis-dimethylamino-1,3-propane, cationic guar gum such as, for example,Jaguar®CBS, Jaguar®C-17, Jaguar®C-16 of Celanese, USA, quaternizedammonium salt polymers such as, for example, Mirapol® A-15, Mirapol®AD-1, Mirapol® AZ-1 of Miranol, USA.

Suitable silicone compounds are, for example, dimethyl polysiloxanes,methylphenyl polysiloxanes, cyclic silicones and amino-, fatty acid-,alcohol-, polyether-, epoxy-, fluorine- and/or alkyl-modified siliconecompounds which may be both liquid and resin-like at room temperature.Typical examples of fats are glycerides while suitable waxes are interalia beeswax, paraffin wax or microwaxes, optionally in combination withhydrophilic waxes, for example cetyl stearyl alcohol. Besides the ringopening products, other known pearlescent waxes such as, in particular,mono- and difatty acid esters of polyalkylene glycols, partialglycerides and triglycerides and esters of fatty alcohols with polybasiccarboxylic acids and hydroxycarboxylic acids may also be used for thepurposes of the invention. Metal salts of fatty acids such as, forexample, magnesium, aluminum and/or zinc stearate may be used asstabilizers. In the context of the invention, biogenic agents are, forexample, bisabolol, allantoin, phytantriol, panthenol, AHA acids, plantextracts and vitamin complexes. Climbazol, octopirox and zinc pyrethionmay be used as antidandruff agents. Typical film formers are, forexample, chitosan, microcrystalline chitosan, quaternized chitosan,polyvinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl pyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer,polymers of the acrylic acid series, quaternary cellulose derivatives,collagen, hyaluronic acid and salts thereof and similar compounds. Inaddition, hydrotropes such as, for example, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol,propylene glycol or glucose may be used to improve flow behavior.Suitable preservatives are, for example, phenoxyethanol, formaldehydesolution, parabens, pentanediol or sorbic acid. The dyes used may beselected from any of the substances which are permitted and suitable forcosmetic purposes, as listed for example in the publication "KosmetischeFarbemittel" of the Farbstoffkommission der DeutschenForschungsgemeinschaft, published by Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1984,pages 81-106. These dyes are typically used in concentrations of 0.001to 0.1% by weight, based on the mixture as a whole.

The total content of auxiliaries and additives may be from 1 to 50% byweight and is preferably from 5 to 40% by weight, based on theformulation. The formulations may be produced by standard cold or hotprocesses and are preferably produced by the phase inversion temperaturemethod.

Finally, the present invention relates to the use of ring openingproducts mentioned as pearlescent waxes for the production ofsurface-active formulations.

EXAMPLES

Pearlescent concentrates R1 to R6 according to the invention andcomparison mixture R7 were stored for 14 days at 40° C., after whichtheir viscosities were measured by the Brookfield method using an RVTviscosimeter (23° C., 10 r.p.m., spindle 5). Water-containing hairshampoos each containing 2 g of pearlescent concentrates R1 to R7, 15 gof coconut fatty alcohol+2 EO sulfate sodium salt, 3 g of dimethylpolysiloxane, 5 g of cocoalkyl glucoside and 1.5 g of an esterquat(water to 100% by weight) were then prepared by mixing the ingredientsat 20° C. The particle fineness of the pearlescent crystals in theshampoos was visually evaluated under a microscope on a scale of 1=veryfine crystals to 5=coarse crystals. Pearlescence was also evaluated on ascale of 1=brilliant to 5=dull. Opacity was visually determined and wasevaluated as (+)=opaque or (-)=non-opaque. The compositions and resultsare set out in Table 1 where all quantities are expressed as percentagesby weight.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Composition and Performance of Pearlescent Concentrates                         Composition   R1     R2   R3   R4   R5   R6   R7                            ______________________________________                                        Ring opening product                                                                      25     --     20   20   --   --   --                                of α-octadecene                                                         epoxide +                                                                     cetearyl alcohol                                                              Ring opening product --  25 --  --  -- -- --                                  of α-octadecene                                                         epoxide +                                                                     stearyl alcohol                                                               Ring opening product -- --  -- -- 25 -- --                                    of i-octadecene                                                               epoxide +                                                                     stearyl alcohol                                                               Ring opening product -- -- -- -- --  25 --                                    of α-hexadecene                                                         epoxide +                                                                     lauryl alcohol                                                                Ethylene glycol -- -- 5 5 -- --  25                                           distearate                                                                    Cocoalcohol + 4EO 5 5 5 --  5 5 5                                             Cocoalkyl glucoside 9 9 9 15 9 9 9                                            Cocofatty acid betaine 5 5 5 4 5 5 5                                          Glycerol 5 5 5 5 5 5 5                                                        Viscosity of the con-                                                         centrates [mPas]                                                              After 1 d, 40° C. 8,200 8,300 7,000 7,800 8,200 8,200 9,500                                                         After 14 d, 40° C.                                                    7,800 7,900 6.700 7,500                                                       7,900 7,800 7,200                 Pearlescence in the                                                           formulation                                                                   Luster 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 2.0                                            Particle fineness 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 3.0                                 Opacity --  --  --  --  --  --  +                                           ______________________________________                                    

What is claimed is:
 1. A concentrated pearlescent compositioncomprising:(a) from 1 to 99.9% by weight of a ring-opening reactionproduct of an olefin epoxide containing from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and areaction component selected from the group consisting of a fatty alcoholhaving from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, a polyol having from 2 to 15 carbonatoms and 2 to 10 hydroxyl groups, and mixtures thereof; wherein saidring-opening reaction product has the formula I: ##STR2## wherein R¹ andR² are hydrogen or an alkyl group containing from 10 to 20 carbon atoms,with the proviso that the sum total of carbon atoms of R¹ and R² isbetween 10 and 20, and R³ is an alkyl and/or alkenyl group containingfrom 12 to 22 carbon atoms and/or a residue of a polyol containing from2 to 15 carbon atoms and from 2 to 10 hydroxyl groups; (b) from 0.1 to90% by weight of an emulsifier selected from the group consisting of ananionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, anampholytic surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, an esterquat, andmixtures thereof; and (c ) up to 40% by weight of a polyol, all weightsbeing based on the total weight of the composition.
 2. The compositionof claim 1 wherein the ring-opening reaction product is present in thecomposition in an amount of from 5 to 75% by weight, based on the weightof the composition.
 3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the emulsifieris a zwitterionic surfactant.
 4. The composition of claim 1 wherein theemulsifier is an esterquat.
 5. The composition of claim 1 wherein theemulsifier is present in the composition in an amount of from 5 to 50%by weight, based on the weight of the composition.
 6. The composition ofclaim 1 wherein the composition contains from 0.1 to 40% by weight of apolyol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, 1,2-propyleneglycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, polyethylene glycol andmixtures thereof.
 7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the polyol hasan average molecular weight of from 100 to 1,000 dalton.
 8. Thecomposition of claim 1 wherein the polyol is present in the compositionin an amount of from 0.5 to 15% by weight, based on the weight of thecomposition.
 9. A water-soluble surface-active pearlescent compositioncontaining from 0.5 to 40% by weight of the concentrated aqueouspearlescent composition of claim
 1. 10. A process for making apearlescent concentrate comprising:(a) providing from 1 to 99.9% byweight of a ring-opening reaction product of an olefin epoxidecontaining from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and a reaction component selectedfrom the group consisting of a fatty alcohol having from 12 to 22 carbonatoms, a polyol having from 2 to 15 carbon atoms and 2 to 10 hydroxylgroups, and mixtures thereof; wherein said ring-opening reaction producthas the formula I: ##STR3## wherein R¹ and R² are hydrogen or an alkylgroup containing from 10 to 20 carbon atoms, with the proviso that thesum total of carbon atoms of R¹ and R² is between 10 and 20, and R³ isan alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing from 12 to 22 carbon atomsand/or a residue of a polyol containing from 2 to 15 carbon atoms andfrom 2 to 10 hydroxyl groups; (b) providing from 0.1 to 90% by weight ofan emulsifier selected from the group consisting of an anionicsurfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an ampholyticsurfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, an esterquat, and mixturesthereof; and (c ) providing up to 40% by weight of a polyol, all weightsbeing based on the total weight of the composition; (d) mixing (a) to (c) to form a mixture; (e) heating the mixture to a temperature of from 1to 30° C. above the melting point of the mixture; (f) optionally addingwater having substantially the same temperature as the mixture, to themixture; and (g) cooling the mixture to room temperature.
 11. Theprocess of claim 10 wherein the ring-opening reaction product is presentin the composition in an amount of from 5 to 75% by weight, based on theweight of the composition.
 12. The process of claim 10 wherein theemulsifier is a zwitterionic surfactant and/or an esterquat.
 13. Theprocess of claim 10 wherein the emulsifier is present in the compositionin an amount of from 5 to 50% by weight, based on the weight of thecomposition.
 14. The process of claim 10 wherein the compositioncontains from 0.1 to 40% by weight of a polyol selected from the groupconsisting of glycerol, 1,2-propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexyleneglycol, polyethylene glycol and mixtures thereof.
 15. The process ofclaim 10 wherein the polyol has an average molecular weight of from 100to 1,000 dalton.
 16. The process of claim 10 wherein the polyol ispresent in the composition in an amount of from 0.5 to 15% by weight,based on the weight of the composition.